during an Atrial T'oyage. 115 



them at no distant period, may, probably, furnish data of the 

 utmost importance. The operation of filling the balloon com- 

 menced about eleven o'clock on Thursday the 6th of September, 

 at Portsea, under the superintendence of the engineer of the 

 gas company ; the operation was completed by half-past twelve. 

 The morning, although cloudy, seemed nevertheless to presage 

 favourably. At half-past one, Mr. Green took his seat in the 

 car, and immediately began to ascend slowly and majestically. 

 On leaving the ground the barometer stood at 29.7 and the 

 thermometer at 74°. The balloon took a N.E. direction, and 

 he found that he could ascend to a great height without enter- 

 ing the clouds. After he had attained a height of about 4,500 

 feet, he launched a parachute with a cat which fell in safety ; 

 its descent was very rapid for about 300 feet, it afterwards 

 became distended, and its oscillation was very inconsiderable : 

 it reached the earth in about eight or nine minutes after its se- 

 paration from tlie balloon. He now ascended with great ra- 

 pidity to upwards of 10,000 feet. After completing his obser- 

 vations which are annexed, Mr. Green at twenty minutes after 

 two determined to descend. By repeatedly discharging ballast 

 the descent was rendered gradual, till half-past two ; at this time a 

 heavy shower of rain added considerably to the weight of the 

 balloon, and occasioned likewise the condensation of the gas, 

 accelerating the fall in a manner that might have been dan- 

 gerous, had it not been checked by throwing out a large quan- 

 tity of ballast. He at last landed in safety in a meadow near 

 Frimley, Surrey, having completed a voyage of forty-five miles 

 in forty-five minutes, in a direction N.N.E. from Portsmouth^ 



During this voyage, the attention of Mr. Green was chiefly 

 directed to the indications of the barometer, thermometer, and 

 Daniell's hygrometer. His observations on these instraments 

 are included in the following table. 



1 2 



